Researchers believe they may be able to use DNA to uncover the fate of the Lost Colony, which vanished shortly after more than 100 people settled on Roanoke Island in 1587.
Using genealogy, deeds, and historical narratives, researchers have compiled 168 surnames that could be connected to settlers in what is considered the first attempt by the English to colonize the New World. The team will try to trace the roots of individuals related to the colonists, to the area's 16th century American Indians, or to both.
You can read more about this story in the Houston Chronicle at http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/science/4880230.html.
